The Real Meaning of Life

Chapter 54, Verse 15: “Indeed they shall surely assemble, but not because of Me. Whoever assembles against you shall fall for your sake.”

Like it or not, Israel is God’s chosen. Don’t get me wrong, whoever loves and obeys Him is chosen and accepted, but Israel was His baby. The world is “going to hell in a handbasket” as all old people say, myself included, and I lament the lack of love, compassion, understanding, and humanity we see worsening. But when I hear today’s people speaking against Israel and in favor of Palestine, it bothers me even more. It makes me realize that they truly haven’t read the Bible, or simply don’t care what God says.

This isn’t the only reference. Throughout the Bible, God talks about blessings for those who bless Israel and curses for those that curse Israel. Now if Israel did a complete turnaround and became such a wicked nation that was displeasing to God, I’m not suggesting we necessarily support it, we should treat it as Jesus does, but we shouldn’t take a stand against it. Remember, the Pharisees that killed Jesus were Jewish, so not every Jewish person is perfect. If the day would come that Israel truly became a wicked nation, let God handle it. As for me though, I will continue to support Israel because it is a nation of Jews, and because Jesus was a Jew.

Chapter 55, Verse 6: “Seek the Lord while He may be found, Call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, And the unrighteous man his thoughts; Let him return to the Lord, And He will have mercy on him; And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon.”

Does that sound like an angry God who punishes the wicked for their sins? No, that is a welcome mat, telling all that if they return to the Lord, no matter how bad they are, no matter how much they’ve sinned, and no matter what sins they’ve committed, God will welcome them back and have mercy on them. “He will abundantly pardon”, it doesn’t get much clearer than that!

God is love!

Finally in Chapter 56, God gives His promise of Salvation to the gentiles as well. Many think it was only the children of Israel who were saved until Jesus came and walked the earth as a Man, then told the disciples to preach to even the Gentiles. But here it is, in the Old Testament, anyone who loves God and obeys Him can be saved! We just have to follow the rules, not our of fear of punishment, but out of a love for God.

Yes, He is often referred to as the “God of Abraham”, but He is the only God, the God that created all of us, our God, and any other god is a false god. Love the One that created you, love the One that blesses you, and love the One that will never turn His back on you, regardless of heritage or denomination.

Amen.